Being a Mother Isn't Easy That's Why Father's Don't Do It
by Twilight Warrior 1994
Summary: Artemis is pregnant.


_**A sequel to my Since Sex Got Easier to Get, Love Got Harder to Find. If you haven't read it, you might want to, just so you better understand what's going on here. If you don't, fair warning, this is Seaarrow.**_

* * *

It wasn't that hard to realize. Later Artemis would thump herself in the head for missing the signs.

For one thing, she missed her period. She brushed it off. It was normal for a girl her age, especially a girl who gets injured at least once a week like she does. For another, she ate **constantly**. Like if she and Wally had an eating contest the winner would be a close call. She chalked that up to her metabolism. It ain't easy running over rooftops five nights a week. Thirdly, she probably ate so much because she threw up every other minute.

This got her attention, especially because it didn't go away after a month. If anything it got worse, and it got harder to hide it from those around her. Just walking past an alley in Gotham triggered her gag reflex.

She stole a pregnancy test from a drugstore. She could have paid for it, she just didn't think she could deal the looks the cashier and the people in line were bound to give her.

She took it at the cave. She couldn't say why. Maybe because it's where she first felt loved and safe when she never had before. She took the test, and spent five anxious minutes pacing the length of the bathroom back and forth, fingering the little moonstone pendant Kaldur had given her when they'd been dating for a year.

Artemis refused to cry when the test came up positive. There was no point in crying. She wouldn't take back all the passion she and Kaldur had shared if her life depended on it. She did let herself sink to the floor, willing her head to stop spinning and stomach to stop turning. _First things first, _she thought_ tell Kaldur._

He wasn't hard to find. He'd seen Artemis enter the cave and walk straight for the bathroom in the locker rooms, and was waiting outside of it, too polite to disturb her. "Artemis? Are you all right beloved? You took great time in there."

There was no other way to say it. Artemis **couldn't** say it actually. So she showed him the test. Even Kaldur, with his less than knowledgeable human culture self, knew what it was. He seemed to stop breathing for a minute. He sat down suddenly on a bench. Artemis joined him. "You are sure?" His normally calm and steady voice was threaded with some emotion Artemis didn't recognize. He's looking straight ahead.

"There's no other explanation. You okay?" He turned to look at her, a Cheshire smile Jade would be jealous of spreading across his face. He wrapped his arms around Artemis in a near death grip. She didn't mind. It stopped the turning in her stomach.

* * *

First off to tell was Paula, who was torn between being pissed that her teenage daughter was pregnant, and being happy that she was gonna be a grandmother. She grilled Kaldur up one side and down the other, making sure history wouldn't repeat itself with her grandchild, and was much happier to realize that it wouldn't.

She and Artemis started to spend all their free time together baby shopping. Kaldur spent all his free time with Artemis, content to sit on their couch with her head in his lap watching soap operas on their crummy T.V. Even Jade and Lawrence showed their happiness, though neither Artemis nor Paula actually told them.

One day Artemis woke up and found a bag on the opposite bed. In it were a battered copy of Alice In Wonderland, and a stuffed Cheshire Cat resembling that from the 2010 film.

Lawrence left subtle threatening messages to Kaldur. For example, they could just be walking on the sidewalk. Kaldur would move to put his arm around Artemis or something of the like, and out of nowhere comes one of Lawrence's discus' forcing us apart. Usually there's a note, saying something like "Just cause you got her pregnant doesn't mean you get to touch her."

Artemis freely admitted to being both happy and annoyed about his actions.

* * *

For some reason it was a lot harder to tell the older heroes than it was to Paula. Artemis felt that she'd rather have to follow her Dad's twisted training all over again than tell Batman she needed maternity leave.

Still, him, Black Canary, Green Arrow, and Aquaman were gathered around the mission room, looking confused and a little worried. Well, Canary and GA did anyway. "You alright kids?" Canary asked.

_That's a good question_ Artemis thought. She was quivering inside, like her organs were performing the cha-cha. She looked to Kaldur, standing at her side, for some reassurance. He looked back to her, smiled, and took her hand. It almost made her feel like a Kryptonian.

"I'm pregnant." She managed to shock Batman. Who else can say that? All Hell broke loose then. They started asking the usual questions ("how could you let this happen?" "how could **we** let this happen?") Two things they all agreed on: While the couple would be helped however possible, the League were not their personal babysitters. And they got to tell the Team ourselves, which actually wasn't that bad.

* * *

It wasn't that bad because they all figured it out by themselves. This is how Zatanna and M'gann did.

Artemis was a little over two months pregnant as it turned out, and the nausea hit her like a brick when she least expected it. She was in the lounge, stretched out on the couch, a box of Saltines in her lap. Zatanna came in. Artemis started to sit up, brushing cracker crumbs off as she did. "Artemis have you se-heen oh my God?"

"Have I seen God? No not lately."

She looked at Artemis all wide-eyed, like a deer in car headlights. "Your, your..." Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Messy? Very", lifting her last cracker to her mouth as she said it. Zatanna was looking from her stomach, to her face, back to her stomach, then back to her face. "Pregnant!" Artemis nearly choked. "No."

"You've got that whole glowy thing going on, and your lying down, and the crackers, who eats crackers for fun?" She **was** right after all. And they were gonna tell them soon. "Yes. I'm pregnant." She jumped up and down on the balls of her feet, pressing a hand to her mouth to muffle her squeals. "But you can't tell anyone else!"

"What, you're not happy about it?"

"Of course I am. I mean I'm having a little Kaldur. How great is that?" She hugged Artemis, jumping up and down all the while. "You can't tell anyone else. It's gonna be hard enough for the rest of them to hear it from us, let alone someone else." She dragged Artemis to her room, wanting to talk in private.

Here's what they didn't know. M'gann, bored, was practicing her Martian camouflage. And she did a good job, because she was standing right behind the couch and they never noticed. Zatanna and Artemis were sitting on her bed, her babbling about baby things, Artemis shoving crackers down her throat, when she came in, crying. "M'gann? What's the matter? Wally tell you you were the star of his wet dream?" getting up and walking to her.

"No."

"Well then why are you crying?"

"Because I'm so excited about our baby I don't care what anyone thinks!" Artemis slapped her hand over M'gann's mouth. "Now listen to me, this is a very big secret M'gann, and if you tell anyone, even your precious Conner, our friendship is over!"

She held up her hand in that Girl Scout symbol and said "I swear if any of the boys hear about it it won't be from because my lips are sealed! Except for right now because I'm so happy we're having a baby!" She trapped Artemis a hug and Zatanna came up from behind, throwing her arms over M'gann's.

* * *

Robin found out a month after the girls did. Kaldur and Artemis knew he did because he started being super polite to Artemis, getting up and giving her his seat if she walked in the room and there wasn't one, and not letting her get up from it once she'd sat it, acting as her butler or something and getting whatever she asked for without a comment, unlike Wally or Roy.

It made Kaldur and Artemis agree that, unofficially, Robin would be Godfather.

* * *

Conner found out about three weeks after Robin. He found out because he and Artemis found themselves alone a lot more than normal, aside from Robin of course, because her hormones were unable to take Wally's attitude or something similar, and Conner was without a doubt the least stressful of the boys in the cave. Well you know, except when he's mad. Anyway, they're alone in the lounge, and Conner hears a third heartbeat.

Now he had a full understanding of human reproduction of course. He had a very good idea of what that third heartbeat meant. He was just too fascinated to question it. It seemed so natural. Peaceful, even. He started to look forward to Artemis coming to the Cave, just because it meant he could hear it. Once he'd gotten up the courage to, he asked Artemis about it.

She told him the truth. "Kaldur and I are having a baby. Please keep it to yourself for now."

He nodded in confirmation. "But I was wondering about- the heartbeat." She smiled at him, rubbing one hand on her stomach. T.V. always says how pregnant women glow, and he sees it now. "It's nice isn't it? It makes me happy, like it's saying, hey here I am. You want to feel it?" She took his hand and placed it just below her ribcage. And he feels it. A _thump thump thump_.

It was both the most amazing and terrifying thing Conner had ever witnessed.

* * *

Roy found out when Artemis was five and a half months pregnant. He and Jade were having one of their... whatever it was they had. Their on rooftops in Star City, fighting, she's flirting, he's getting annoyed. Just before she disappears in a cloud of smoke, she tells Roy to give Artemis her best.

That just confused him. But he did it anyway, a week later when he'd Zeta'd to the Cave at Kaldur's request. He found the rest of the Team gathered, and Wally was the only one who truly looked like he had no idea why they were there. The girls and Robin kept smiling, and even Conner looked excited. Well, as excited as possible for him.

Kaldur and Artemis came in, arm in arm and smiling. Artemis was... **glowing**. There wasn't anything else for it. They stood before them. Kaldur spoke first. "We have something we need to tell you all. Artemis?" She unraveled her arm from his and step in front a little, resting one hand on her stomach. "I'm pregnant."

Roy and Wally were the only one who didn't speak or move. The rest of them smiled and laughed and hugged Artemis and shook Kaldur's hand. Finally Roy moved. He walked up to Artemis and told her "Your sister wishes you good luck." She looked a little confused but she smiled anyway.

* * *

The rest of the four months passed uneventfully. M'gann threw a baby shower that most of the female leaguers attended. The spare bed in Artemis' room was replaced with a bassinet and other baby related furniture. Kaldur basically moved in with her and Paula.

She and Kaldur decided on a name when they learned they were having a boy. Jagger. In Atlantean it means unbreakable, and Artemis likes it because it makes her think of herself, however vain that might sound. Paula suggested Jacob as a middle name. JJ Crock.

A hurricane is all but brewing in Gotham when he's born. Artemis groans and curses through ten plus hours of labor, declaring it all worth it when she heard JJ's first cries.

* * *

_**This is my third Artemis is pregnant story. What does that say about me?**_


End file.
